News Excerpt:

India has been re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council with the highest tally at elections held at its Assembly in London for the 2024-25 biennium.

• India's re-election falls under the Category of 10 states with "the largest interest in international seaborne trade", alongside Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

About IMO:

• It was established by a Convention approved under the auspices of the United Nations on 17 March 1948 in Geneva, and it met for the first session in January 1959. 
• It now has  175 member states and three associate members.
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent pollution from ships.
• It is critical to achieving the targets outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Conserve and exploit oceans, seas, and marine resources sustainably for long-term development.
• The Assembly generally meets in regular session once every two years. 
• It is in charge of approving the work schedule, voting on the budget, and setting the organization's financial arrangements.
• At these meetings, the organization's 40-member council is also elected for the next two years.
• The IMO council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the organization. 
• Between sessions of the assembly, the council performs the functions of the assembly, except that of making recommendations to governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.

The Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 has also set goals to strengthen India’s global maritime presence. There are 43 initiatives identified as part of Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 Action Plan of which, the key initiatives focus on strengthening our global maritime presence which includes a dedicated IMO cell in India, the appointment of a permanent representative at IMO headquarters, London, etc